Look at Me
by RoseDemocracy05
Summary: LilySev. Legilimancy enables you to walk in the mind of another. Severus and Lily through childhood and Hogwarts, growing closer through the powers of Legilimancy.
1. Endless Fields

An idea that claimed me. What do you think?

I don't own anything related to Harry Potter.

Chapter One

Endless Field, Endless Ocean

_Can you hear me Lily?_

_Lily? Don't break eye contact, remember?_

_Look at me._

There was no other field like it. Vibrant reds, blues, pinks and yellows blurred softly in the rustling wind. The field went on forever in one direction and in the other it ran seamlessly in a gently rolling sea. The wind and waves pulsed together quietly, but the wind carried another sound. Somewhere two children were laughing.

The first was a little girl. She was wearing a gauzy white summer dress that looked as though it had been made from clouds. Her red hair floated behind as she ran. Her little pink toes felt good on the soft earth. A boy chased her. He was wearing red robes with silver trimming and tassels decorating the edges. His inky black hair flew wildly regardless of the wind. He caught up to the giggling girl and grabbed her hand.

_Now jump._

The two floated up into the endless cloudless sky. Higher and higher until they emerged from the earth and amongst the flowers.

_I told you that you were a natural. You're an amazing witch!_

_It's not that hard if you try. Let's go to the sea!_

_Wait!_

The girl broke into a weightless run. She reached the sea, tinged orange and pink by a sunless sunset. She skipped happily across the water, slapping it with her feet and sending silver droplets soaring upward.

_Wait!_

_C'mon slowpoke! _The girl looked back but continued to run. When she looked forward again she stopped. The sight chilled her; it cast a fearful shadow over her. She stepped back.

"Hey!"

The sea, the field, the children, and the dark thing swirled sickeningly out of focus. The two children looked up to see a blond girl with her nose scrunched cruelly.

"Mum says it's time for supper," the girl snipped and marched away, "Freaks," she muttered under her breath.

The green-eyed girl looked up at the black-eyed boy sadly, half-tempted to reestablish their connection. She was not wearing a white summer dress but a plaid, fur-lined parka to protect her from the bitter November chill. The boy was almost unrecognizable. His layers of clothing were brown, frayed and ratty. His fine hair had clumps of dirt in it. His left cheek bore a fading purple bruise.

"I finally found my mum's book," he said slowly, "I'll bring it tomorrow."

The girl nodded but she looked troubled, "Sev, what was that--"

"Nothing!" he snapped before realizing his mistake, "Nothing," he repeated more softly.

The two stood up from the hard ground, "I had better go," she sighed but noticing his crushed look she said, "But we'll see each other tonight of course. Just make sure to dream about me," she pecked him on the cheek and turned in the direction of her home.

He watched her go with hunger and longing and a dozen other emotions no eight-year-old should have been expected to understand before he shuddered. A violent hacking cough overtook him and wracked his bony little body. After several moments it subsided, and shivering he made his way back home.

Severus Tobias Snape withdrew deeper into himself as he walked. Why couldn't he and Lily be left alone in their world? Why did people like that damn Petunia have to come along and ruin it? A harsh gust of wind blew and he sniffled his hooked nose. He wished he could just sit in the gutter and pass out and not get up like father did sometimes. But thoughts of her—her kind words, her gentle touch, her beauty, her mind—kept him trudging toward the last house on Spinner's End.

They were fighting again. Mum and Dad were shouting cruel things at each other. Dad slapped Mum. He slapped her a second time, and a third. Severus crept up the stairs to go hide in his room. That's what Mum had always told him to do.

He plopped on his mattress and wrapped the threadbare sheet around himself. He tried to drown out their shouting by focusing on how hungry he was. He shoved their fight away to that special corner of his mind. The part he hadn't meant for Lily to see.

He picked up a dusty old book from the floor—_The Dark Art of __Legilimancy__—_and tried to read it. He had successfully devoured several pages before he heard a terrible shriek from downstairs. He snapped the book shut and lay down.

Severus Snape closed his eyes, hoping for sleep to take him.


	2. Carnival

Thanks for the reviews guys. I'm glad some people like this. I always thought there was more significance in Lily's eyes than even JK wrote about and so the plot bunny was born.

Disclaimer: Don't own these characters, etc.

Chapter Two

_This is a __Muggle__ carnival?_

_Well, a bit. There are huge crowds of people of course…and the animals are tired and treated bad. And everything costs so much money! But this is what one looks like—with some of my own ideas._

A silver lion bearing a golden serpent stalked coolly past them. Miniature elephants frolicked and performed acrobatic stunts. A stick of fluffy pink cotton candy floated into her hands.

_What is that?_

_Cotton candy.__ It's sweet, fluffy and sticky, and it melts into sugar when you put it in your mouth. Think of it._

Severus concentrated and his own stick of cotton candy descended from the purple and star painted sky. Lily led him past the colorful booths and brightly lit rides to an enormous mustachioed man standing next to a tower with a bell on top. Seeing the two he grunted and picked up a crude mallet. He lifted it over his head, which was bald and shiny from sweat. He pounded the spring on the ground and sent the ball in the tower flying to the red "strongman" level, just below "Hercules" and the bell. The man turned and looked at Severus.

_If you hit the bell you win a prize!_

_That's stupid._

_No it's not_, give it a try…

Severus stood up on his tiptoes to take the mallet from the man. He nearly toppled backward from its weight. He huffed and dragged the mallet over to the spring. He looked back and scowled at Lily.

_I can't do this!_

_Yes you can! You can do anything here. You taught me that, remember?_

His expression softened, but he did not look away from her, not yet. She was smiling at him, light floated around her. She alone had made his nightmares go away. He gulped. Air wasn't needed in dreams, but he wanted some. He lifted the mallet with all his might and brought it down on the spring.

Tong.

The bell reverberated over the deserted carnival grounds. Lily jumped and cheered. Severus closed his eyes and let the sound echo through his mind, through the whole world. It lifted him, it seemed, off the ground and into the sky. When he opened them again he was clinging to a bar and Lily's laughter was tickling his ear.

_It's a Ferris __Wheel__. Cool, huh?_

_Infernal __Muggle__ contraption…why is it stopping? It's stopping! We're going to be stuck on this bloody thing!_

_It's supposed to do that, silly. _Lily sidled closer to him, rocking the carriage. Severus gripped the bar tighter.

_Relax and look._

They were so high up, the carnival blurred into red, white, green and orange lights. They could see beyond the carnival, Severus guessed it was the universe or some galaxy. Lily thought it was her star and planet printed bed-sheet.

They sat close together until everything began to fade. Severus sighed.

_It's almost morning._

_Yeah, I smell eggs and bacon._

_I don't want to wake up._

_I know how it feels. Sometimes I'm so comfy in my bed I don't want to move._

_No, I mean I don't want to wake up ever again. I want to stay here._

Lily met his eyes. _Things are bad._

_Yeah._

_Remember what you told me? When things are bad, just keep thinking: Two more years __til__ Hogwarts!_

_Yeah._

Lily wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her touch felt vaguer than before. Their surroundings were fading into grey morning light.

_Thank you…_

"Oh! It's moving! Look Sev, I'm making it move!"

"Yeah, you're doing it, told you it wasn't hard," Severus said making his own leaf float where he pleased, "Watch this."

He glared at the open Legilimancy book and the page slowly turned itself.

_"Eye contact is not always necessary to walk in the mind of another. The practitioners may have a deep bond, or be very __powyrful__ in their __magick. __Legilimancy__ involves more than mere reading the mind of another. Two __Legilimens__ can speak to each other, a certain amount of telepathy and telekinesis develops in the practitioners mind._

_Though seen as myth, a __powyrful __Legilimens__ was said to be able to __will__himself__ to __flyght__."_

Severus's eyes burned hungrily. What would he give to fly! Without a stupid broom of course. He would be free.

"Sev, watch!" Lily spun around, sending leaves floating unnaturally in every direction.

_I'm watching._

Lily stopped and gaped at him, "How did you do that? Talk in my head without looking at me?"

Severus hesitated before gathering up his courage, "Because…because we're best friends, we know each other well enough so we can."

Lily smiled, and Severus's heart beat wildly. She didn't think him strange.

"What are you two up to now?" came a clipped, over-important voice.

Severus glowered darkly and Lily sighed, "Not now Tuney, we're just playing."

"Playing in the dirt and spinning around in circles. Oh, what fun," Petunia lifted her sharp nose.

"Shut up Petunia!" Severus snarled, his overcoat flapping around him viciously, "You're just jealous!"

Petunia laughed shrilly, "Jealous? Why would I be jealous of some snot-nosed boy who has to wear dirty girl's clothes? Whose family is dirt poor and whose dad is the town drunk. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be playing wizard in the dirt to get away from my ugly mother and nasty little house!"

"Stop it!" Lily lunged at Petunia, but the stronger girl pushed her to the ground. Lily scraped her palm.

Petunia was about to gloat when she felt a force that send her stumbling several feet. She looked up at Severus who was staring dangerously at her and mumbling dark things under his breath. She squeaked and fled across the field.

Severus kneeled by Lily and examined her bloodied palm. His eyes, which were once flashing so dangerously, were soft with concern, "Are you alright?"

Lily looked at him, her eyes were watery but she would not cry, "I'm fine."

Severus frowned, "Are you sure?" he wrapped his arm around her to grab her scraped hand.

"I'm fine, really," she smiled, "I'm not made of glass you know."

So, what do you good people think?


	3. Giggles

Chapter Three

Giggles and Vengence

Thanks so much for all the reviews guys! This chapter, while not fluff, is lighter and not as fantasy concentrated as the previous two.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

The classroom was silent except for frantic quills scratching parchment. The first years did not dare let their eyes wander to other papers under Professor McGonagall's stern gaze.

_You were being a real __prat__ today __Sev_

_Pettigrew had it coming!_

_That…incident was Potter and Black's fault, going after one of their__ friends was stupid._

_Incident?__ Getting your collarbone__ broken is now an__ incident? _A fiery flash of red flared in Lily's mind.

_Of course not, we'll get those__toerag__s__ for what he did._

_I can take Potter__ and Black__myself__, you don't need to put yourself in harm's way—it's my problem._

Severus felt a scoff push at him. _I'm not made of glass you know. You better tell me what you've got planned._

_Fine__, but__ first you have to tell me the answer to question 13._

_Manipulative snake._Colors danced cheekily in his head. _It's the theory of Dissipation._

_Thank you. _The words felt smooth. Lily suppressed a gasp as an empty whiteness enveloped her mind's eye. She found it harder to concentrate on the multiple choice question before her but was not overly concerned.

Shaky lines were drawn by an invisible hand until they resembled grotesque stick figures of James Potter and Sirius Black. The figures began to move. Severus eagerly provided their voices.

_I'm James Potter and I just love__ myself__Oooh__ look at me! _Stick figure James was promptly squashed by a wobbly circle that vaguely resembled a boulder.

Lily snorted loudly into her paper. Professor McGonagall's head snapped like a hawk in her direction, "Is there a problem Ms. Evans?"

Lily looked up at her teacher wide-eyed and shook her head frantically, "No, no problem professor," Lily bent over her paper and pretended to scribble on it.

_Git_Red and black fluttered in her head. _Don't laugh at me!_

"Mr. Snape?" Professor McGonagall turned her attention to the dark little boy who had just given a similar snort into his exam, "Is there something amusing you would like to share with us?"

"No professor," Severus said quietly, letting his lanky hair fall in front of his face.

Severus's artistic interpretation of Sirius Black reappeared in Lily's mind. _Now that Potter is dead I can no longer be his fawning sidekick…I have no reason to live! The only thing to do now is to throw myself into the river Styx. _Stick figure Black threw himself off a cliff into some hastily scribbled fire.

The two would have managed to contain their laughter if they had not caught each other's eyes from across the room. The giggles were infectious. The rest of the class began to shoot them odd looks as they shook and cackled uncontrollably.

"Evans! Snape! Out!" McGonagall snarled, "Ten points from Griffyndor and Slytherin!"

The two scrambled out of the room with their professor marching close behind. Their laughter had retreated into contorted grins.

"Explain yourselves. I expect this sort of behavior from first years, not second years who should know better!" McGonagall towered over them.

Severus thought fast. _Got hit by a tickling hex._

"Got hit by a tickling hex, ma'am." they said simultaneously.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow, "By whom?"

_Potter._

_Black._

"By Potter and Black."

McGonagall hesitated, "…Where, when and why?" she asked quickly.

"Second floor, Charms corridor. After lunch. We were taunting Potter's favorite Quidditch team, ma'am."

By this time McGonagall's eyebrows had almost collided with her high hairline, "I'll call Potter and Black out here then," McGonagall leaned back into the classroom, "Potter! Black!"

The two boys, Severus noticed with disgust, _swaggered_ out of the classroom.

"Yes Minerva?" Potter grinned.

McGonagall flared, "Twenty points from Gryffindor! You will address me with respect!"

Potter quailed under her gaze and was silent.

Regaining her composure the professor said, "Did you hex Miss Evans and Mr. Snape this afternoon?"

Black and Potter burst into incoherent denials and McGonagall frowned, "I seem to remember Professor Flitwick telling me that you two skipped out on Charms today. Where were you two?"

"Studying in the library!"

"Er…writing a letter to my mum?"

McGonagall sighed, "You two will have detention with me this Saturday for skipping class and another detention next Saturday for hexing Evans and Snape."

"But we didn't--"

"Back inside," McGonagall's tone left no room for argument. She turned to Lily and Severus, "As for you two, finish your exam out here. I will not have the aftereffects of this hex distracting my class. I will be checking in on you, so I trust you will keep your academic integrity."

The two nodded frantically and sighed with relief as their exams and quills floated out to them.

_That was brilliant._

_Of course it was._

_That was like the time my family took you with us to St. Peter's and we got the church giggles during Father Simon's __about original sin!_

The two sat down on the cold stone floor and started on their exams. A dull pain pounded in Lily's head.

_You okay?_

_Yeah…my right side is just sore from "the incident" and bending this way to write isn't exactly helping. _

_Just do this. _Lily's quill scribbled without a hand to guide it.

_Yeah. _Severus's quill followed suit.

_I thought my head was going to spilt open when they knocked you off your broom_

_Sorry…If it was anything like how my head felt when you fell out of that tree and broke your arm last __summer,__ it must have felt pretty bad._

_We have to find a way to block that connection._

_It is strange, but we've been in the library everyday and haven't found a thing about this aspect of __Legillimency__. It's probably in the Restricted Section. _

The two grew bored of the drafty hallway and decided to sit side by side on Severus's broom and weave across a red-leafed autumn forest. Neither noticed Professor McGonagall come out into the hallway and suppress a gasp. Neither noticed how she returned to the classroom with her heart in her throat at the quills moving with invisible hands or the incredibly alive eyes staring into a world beyond her comprehension.

Your feedback is much appreciated. I like ideas about where the story should go as well. : )


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